What Is Assessment Why Should Library Media Specialists Be Involved

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What Is Assessment? Why Should Library Media
Specialists Be Involved?

• Violet H. Harada
• University of Hawaii
• AASL Fall Forum 2006

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Vis Informal Survey

• Library media specialists teach an average of 600
  to 700 lessons a year.
• Library media specialists spend at least 2 to 3
  hours of preparation time for each new lesson.
• Library media specialists teach a diverse range
  of students, from pre-K through grade 12 in
  special education, gifted, ESL, and regular
  classes.

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The BIG QUESTION

• With so much teaching being done . . .
• how do we know how well students are actually
  learning?

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Coffee pot comments and underlying issues

• I have to teach the same lessons year after
  year because the students simply dont learn.
• The problem lies with students.
• Repetition is the most effective way to achieve
  successful student learning.

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More coffee pot comments

• I dont have time to give quizzes and tests
  so I cant really assess students work.
• The only means of assessing student performance
  is through conventional paper and pencil tests.

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More coffee pot comments

• Actually, assessment is not my responsibility
  anyway--its the teachers job.
• Assessment is done primarily for grading
  purposes.
• Assessment is divorced from the learning process.

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The REALITIES

• Assessing student learning is every school
  professionals responsibility.
• Assessment and evaluation are not the same thing.
• Assessment is integral to successful learning.
• Assessment is central to effective teaching.

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Essential questions

• What is assessment?
• Who should assess?
• Why do it?
• How are library media specialists doing it?

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What is assessment?
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More of Vis informal survey

• How do you currently know whether students get
  it or not?
• Eyeball the room
• Spot check as students work
• Survey the number and types of books checked out
• Look for the glimmer of discovery in a students
  eye

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Assessment defined

• Process of collecting, analyzing and reporting
  data that informs us about progress and problems
  a learner encounters in a learning experience
• Derived from Latin assidere (to sit with)
• Implications mentors talk with and work
  alongside learners

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Purposes for assessment

• Assessment OF LEARNING
• Assessment FOR LEARNING
• Assessment FOR ADVOCACY

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Assessment OF learning

• Summative, judgmental
• Involves grading
• Places responsibility on instructor
• Focuses on programmatic and system accountability
• Examples high stakes testing, unit tests,
  culminating products

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Assessment FOR learning

• Formative, ongoing, reflective
• Involves student and instructor as partners in
  assessment
• Involves pre-assessment to diagnose what students
  already know or dont know

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Assessment FOR learning

• Focuses on students evolving performance
• Where am I going?
• Where am I now?
• How do I close the gap?
• Examples of instruments learning logs, rating
  scales, checklists, conferences, graphic
  organizers, rubrics

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Assessment for ADVOCACY

• Focuses on communication
• Targets stakeholders and decision makers in the
  school community
• Involves the synthesis of evidence focusing on
  student achievements
• Requires a strategic, selective approach to
  assessment
• Possible methods evidence folders

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Who should assess?Why do it?
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Assessment as a reflective community experience

• Students
• Classroom teachers
• Library media specialists
• Other teaching partners

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Why we need to assess

• Library media centers are extensions of the
  classrooms.
• What we teach is foundational to successful
  learning.
• Information literacy is considered central to
• 21st century skills
• New basics

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Why we need to assess

• What we teach helps to close the learning gap.
• If we are teaching partners, we are also partners
  in assessment.

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Research indicates . . . .

• For students--
• Increases student motivation
• Deepens quality of learning
• For instructors--
• Informs teaching--what to adjust and why
• Enables specific and personalized feedback
• Allows for differentiated instruction

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How are library media specialists doing it?
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Scenario 1 Pacific Elementary
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The setting

• K students discover a strange insect on campus.
• They want to find out what it is and its
  potential danger.
• They work with teacher, LMS, and tech
  coordinator.
• They use library resources and contact an
  entomologist by email.

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Students email

• Dear Mr. K
• We fownd a bug on the sidwok at or school. It
  is red and black. It has 2 antena and small
  sqares on the back. Kan you hlp us? We want to no
  if this bug is dangris and if it pichas and what
  it can do. Can you tell us its name too?
• Mrs. Ws class

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The setting

• They publicize the results by
• Designing informational posters for the campus
• Creating a short video message aired over closed
  circuit television

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Assessing for learning

• Focus To what degree are K students able to
  identify important aspects of the inquiry
  process?
• Teacher and LMS devise 2 class charts to show
  prior knowledge (pre-assessment) and new
  knowledge gained (post-assessment).

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Chart 1 What we know about inquiring (pre)
Have a question
Find the information
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Chart 2 What we know about inquiring (post)
Find something interesting
Think about what we already know
Have wonderings
Find the information
Check in different places
Try to find the information
Share what we learned
Dont make up the information!
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Scenario 2 Island Middle School
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The setting

• Grade 6 students engage in two cycles of research
  assignments.
• Cycle 1
• Inquiry Are ancient civilizations still alive
  today? How do we know?
• Performance task Create artifacts.
• Context Students work on exhibits displayed in
  the library as part of schools Curriculum Fair.
• Audience Peers and parents.

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The setting

• Cycle 2
• Inquiry Historical heroes--what makes a hero?
  Who would I choose and why?
• Performance task Create posters.
• Context Students mount a Hall of Fame of
  Historical Heroes in the cafetorium for Parent
  Night.
• Audience Parents and peers.

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Assessing for learning

• Focus Are students able to identify important
  aspects of the information search process?
• Students maintain e-logs on a bi-weekly basis.
• Teacher, LMS, and student compare and contrast
  e-logs from both cycles.

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Glorias e-log (cycle 1)

• Prompt If a new student came to our class, how
  would you explain the steps you would take to
  work on your research assignment?
• I would tell her to find a topic and go to the
  library and use the electronic encyclopedia to
  find information. Then write it up and turn it
  in.

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Glorias e-log (cycle 2)

• Prompt If a new student came to our class, how
  would you explain the steps you took to work on
  your research assignment?
• Read aloud Glorias e-log

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Scenario 3 Paradise High School
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The setting

• Grade 10 students study issues relating to global
  pollution.
• Inquiry What factors impact global pollution?
  How bad is the situation? What can we do about
  it?
• Performance task Create multimedia presentations
  to showcase findings and possible solutions.

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The setting

• Context Students participate in a mock global
  summit sponsored by the local department of
  education. Members of the community are invited
  as responders.
• Audience Peers and community experts.

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Assessing for learning

• Focus Are students able to evaluate the
  usefulness of web sites for their research?
• Students assess the web sites based on content,
  authority, and ease of use.
• They collaborate with the LMS to design a graphic
  organizer to evaluate web sites.
• They use the graphic organizer to evaluate 3 web
  sites at 3 different intervals in their search
  process.

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Levels of proficiency
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Compiled class results
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Assessment for advocacy building evidence
folders
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Context

• Pilot project in Hawaii
• Collaborative initiative
• Hawaii Association of School Librarians
• University of Hawaii
• Hawaii Department of Education
• 24 K-12 librarians in pilot group
• Face-to-face summer workshop and checkpoint
  sessions
• Online exchanges and support

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Targets of the pilot

• Apply a strategic approach to assessment for
  advocacy
• Practice an outcome-based approach in designing
  instruction
• Build evidence folders of student learning
  through libraries

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Strategic approach to assessment

• Identify schools student learning priorities.
• Select specific lessons and projects that link to
  the schools learning priorities.
• Establish criteria to assess student achievement
  of the learning targets.

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Strategic approach to assessment

• Devise assessment tools to measure achievement of
  the learning targets.
• Collect and analyze the data.
• Communicate the results to different stakeholder
  groups.

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Outcome based approach to instruction

• Develop a clear learning goal or outcome.
• Align it with standards.
• Determine the performance task for students to
  demonstrate their understanding.
• Identify criteria to assess student performance
  on the task.

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Outcome based approach to instruction

• Create an assessment tool to measure quality of
  student performance.
• Develop activities that facilitate achievement of
  the learning goal.

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Possible contents of evidence folder

• Link librarys mission with schools mission
  statement.
• Connect with schools learning priorities.
• Select samples of instruction that most closely
  align with schools priorities.

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Possible contents of evidence folder

• Provide examples of student work for lessons
  included.
• Display compiled assessment data for lessons
  selected.
• Include samples of student and instructor
  reflections about progress and improvements.

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Advice from librarians

• Start small.
• Be selective.
• Assume a school perspective.
• Keep it do-able.
• One size does not fit all!

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Our journey continues . . . .

• What do we teach?
• Why is it important?
• Does our teaching make a difference?
• How do we know this?
• How do others know this?

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Reflecting . . . .

• What do I already know about assessment?
• What connections am I making?
• What might be my next steps?

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Our challenges

• Are we invisible
• or visible and indispensable teaching
  partners?
• Do we view assessment as intuitive and incidental
  
• or integral and intentional to learning?
• Do we simply spout rhetoric on the importance of
  assessment
• or can we demonstrate results?

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Aloha and mahalo (thank you)!
Violet H. Harada vharada_at_hawaii.edu